Improvement in casks for containing fermentable beverages



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JOHN HAMILTON AND ROBERT PATTERSON, OF GLASGOW, GREAT BRITAN.

Letters Patent No. 100,029, dated February 22, 1870.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

We, JOHN HAMILTON andRoBERr PATEnsoN, both:-

of Glasgow, in the county of Lanark, Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, have jointly invented an Improved Collapsable Cask for Containing Fermentable and Aerated Beverages, of which the following is a specification.

Nature and Objects of the Invention.

' Our invention relates to a peculiar construction of collapsable cask or vessel for containing fermentable and aerated beverages.

The outer shell of this cask is of a cylindrical or other suitable form, and has within it a hollow ram which" moves from the bottom of the cask when the beverage is introduced, and returns in proportion as the beverage is withdrawn, in such a way that air cannot have access to the beverage within the cask, a ring of rubber being used as packing between the ram andv Description of the Accompanying' Drawing.

The drawing is avert-ical section of a collapsable cask as made according to our invention.

General Description.

The outer cask or vessel is acylinder, 1, of -tinned sheet iron or other suitable material, and having at its lower part an inner shell, 2, with aclosed bottom, 3.

A strengthening band, 4, is fixed round the middle part of the shell 1, and a lid, 5, is adapted to the up= per, otherwise open end of it.

Within the cask there is a ram, 6, made of 'tinned sheet-iron, or other suitable material, of a generally cylindrical form, and with a closed bottom, 7, being strengthened by strong ribs or beads 8 9, extending round its sides internally.

The internal space between the bottom 3 of the cask and the bottom 7 of the ram, is that in which the beverage is contained, and this space is diminished or enlarged in proportion as the ram descends or rises.

A ring of rubber 1 0, which may be formed with a hollow core, is applied between the ram and the cask, and whilst making a tight connection between thetwo, easily adapts itself to the movement of the ram by rolling. Thus, when the ram 6 7 is moved downwards from the position in which it is delineated, and which is its highest, the rubber ring 10 rolls down the inside ofthe Cask-shell 1, until it reaches the position 11, indicated by dotted lines, by which time the ram will have moved down double the distance, its bottom 7 Y reaching the cask bottom 3, and the ring 10 having as it were rolled up its outer surface to ahead, 12, formed or fixed thereon. A

The shoulder of the inner shell 2 of the cask, forms a lower stop for the rubber ring 10, whilst a small bead, 13, is xed to the cash-shell 1 for the upper stop,

and the ring gets properly adjusted every time it is v brought against one or other of these stops, notwithstanding any slight displacement it may havelin an intermediate position.

Slight hollows are formed round the shell 6 of the ram at the parts 12 and 14, corresponding to the eX- treme positions of the rubber ring 10; and a. deeper hollow, 15, is formed round the shell 6 close to the bottom for-receiving and holding the rubber ring when the ram is being ent-ered into its place.

The rubber ring 10 is of a size which requires to be slightly stretched to get it upon the ram, and it is, in its free state, of a circular cross-section, and somewhat thicker than-the space between 'the shells 1 and 6 wherein it has to work, so that it is compressed whenl y in that space. The rubber ringis thus in close contact with the inside of the ca'sk-shell1,in consequence of its compressed state, whilst its stretched state causes it to cling to the outside of the ram-shell 6, and a'perfectly't-ight joint is thereby insured.

When entering the ram 6 7 into 'its place, the rubber ring 10 being in the deeper hollow 15, can, with a I little force, be made to roll down over the stop bead 13, and it at the same time gets forced up out of theiiollow 15 of .the shell 6 into its proper working position on that shell.

The upper end vof the ram 6 7 is guided'by four or other convenient number of anti-friction rollers 16, which are made of rubber, with metal eyes, and. which easily roll over the stop-bead 13.

After the ram 6 7 is -introduced, its upward move- A ment is'limited by a holding bow, 17, connected by a hinge, 18, to the oask 1, and formed with two :ti-,ms with the ends turned outward to enter v'sockets 19 formed for them in the cask side 1.

Theends of the holding bow 17' are sprung into or out of their sockets 19, which are so situated as, with the hinge 18, to constitute three equidistant holding oints. f'

This last-described provision is made in order to limit the upward movement of the ram 6 7 when filling the cask, and also to resist the pressure of carbonicacid or other gas generated inside or forced into the vessel.

The -top of the ram 6 7 s'open, so that on removing the cask lid 5, iceA may be placed on the bottom 7, and the ram may be `moved by hand by means of a handle, 26, xed across between two bars 21, of which only one is shown in the section, and which, whilst strengthening the ram, also serve to bear Weights 22.

The weight put in the ram is optional, but some is always required to cause the Vbeverage to flow oi at the outlet 23, which is situated, when the cask is iutended for fermentable beverages, not at the bottom. but at as high a point as is possible without the rub-r ber ring 10 having to cross it; and this arrangement insures that the beverage withdrawn is clear, and that the withdrawing action does not cause the disturbance and rernxing otdregs or deposits. When the. cask is intended for aerated beverages, the outlet 23 should be situated at the bottom.

A tap, 24, is screwed upon the outlet nozzle 23, which nozzle also serves for filling the cask by. When filling, the cask is laid on its side with the nozzle 23 uppermost, being steadied by feet fixed upon it in snitahle positions, and the beverage may be led in by a funnel inserted in the nozzle, or by aiiexible tube fixed on the nozzle, or on the tap 24.

An outlet-valve, 25, is providedfor air or gasand consists of a metal plug inserted through a rubber ring held in a. socket, 26.v The bottom of thc socket com- A municates with the interior of the cask by one or two small holes, but these are so situated as only to communicate with the lower or beverage space when the ram 6 7 is in its highest position, the rubber ring 10 being then just beyond the holes, as shown.

When filling, the plug 25 is removed and the illing is continued until the beverage overflowing into the socket 26 shows that all air or gas has been expelled.

The plug 25 is held by the rubber ring in the socket with a certain resistance depending on the size and consequentcompression of the ring, but if thc internal pressure becomes excessive from the generation of gas, the plug is forced out and so acts as a safety-valve. When the cask is not full of liquid, any gas generated internally lirst pushes up the ram 6 7 to its highest position and then acts on the plug 25.

The parts of the cask may he coated with any suitable preservative composition, and the outside may he japanned or otherwise ornamented. We prefer to coat the internal parts with parafline.

We do not claim as new the using of a rubber ring as rolling packing.

C' latins.

Witnesses:

EDMUND HUNT, Glasgow, ALEXR. TEMPLETON, Glasgow. 

